NORTH READING — The NRHS boys’ basketball team is starting a new chapter in 2023-24 with their youngest roster in recent memory following the graduation of all five starters from last year’s team, a group that went 10-10 in the regular season before upsetting No. 24 Abington in the state tournament and nearly beating No. 9 Hanover in the next round, falling 54-51.
Head coach Joe Casey, who won his 250th game as the Hornet coach last year, returns for his 23rd season with an almost brand new team.
“We are very much a work in progress,” said Casey. “Rome wasn’t built in a day and this is going to take some time for all of these kids to get acclimated to playing at the varsity level. There is talent and potential here and we are working on finding our identity.”
North Reading will be led by captains, senior Eli Nikolopoulos, a 6’0” athletic forward and junior Andrew Taylor who got significant playing time last year.
“Andrew is our glue guy,” said Casey. “Does all of the little things for us. He’s an excellent leader, understands the game well and has a tremendous work ethic.”
The second senior on the team is Brandon Eng, playing his first season. The football captain will provide more leadership and help in the paint.
North Reading’s big junior class includes Taylor and seven classmates including Parker Griffin, another player with varsity experience. The Hornets will look to the athletic forward to score in bunches.
Expected to contribute right away is Matt Myette who had a great year as a sophomore on the JV last year. A good shooter, Myette worked hard to improve in the offseason.
David Rosatti, a lefty, hard-nosed point guard is also ready to see minutes. More juniors expected to contribute include Connor Gattuso, a scorer who provides length on the wing; CJ Villaroel, an athlete who plays good defense and provides energy; Dylan Oliveira, a 6-footer with good inside moves and Jason Curran, who will solidify the backcourt and bring toughness.
The Hornets will also lean heavily on sophomore PG Jason Berry, a talented guard who saw varsity action in the second half of last season.
“He’s very mature for his age,” said Casey. “Excellent competitor that will play big minutes for us and will be expected to lead us offensively.”
Another sophomore, Gavin Wesley provides athleticism and good offense.
Together, the Hornets won’t tower over opponents, but should be a tough defensive team.
“We are very undersized with no player on our roster over 6’0 so in order for us to be successful we are going to have to use our athleticism to really play good defense and pressure as much as we can,” said the coach. “I was very encouraged with our effort in a 54-48 opening night loss to Triton. The kids clearly got the message that our effort and defense are critical to our success. We got down 14 in the 3rd quarter and came back to tie it early in the 4th. We showed outstanding resilience and it’s an effort we hope to build on.”
North Reading dropped to 0-2 after a 70-40 loss to powerhouse Manchester-Essex on Tuesday. Casey expects the opposing Hornets, along with Newburyport and Georgetown to be the favorites in the CAL.
Overall, although the Hornets are young, there is plenty of anticipation for another exciting season.
“This is a great group of kids, who have worked hard in the offseason and are very coachable,” said Casey. “We have tremendous potential down the road and I’m excited to see our growth.”
North Reading will host Greater Lawrence Tech on Dec. 27 at 12 p.m.